Dr. Wafik Moustafa, Chairman of the British Arab Network, has condemned the repression of journalists in Egypt in interviews on Al Alam (Iran) and Mustaqilla TV.

Dr. Moustafa said:

The Egyptian authorities should stop detaining and harassing journalists and let them to do their job without fear or hindrance. Egypt is the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide and should be ashamed of its actions. The tactics used by the authorities for example preventing journalists from entering their union headquarters by police are an absolute disgrace. The freedom of expression is an important pillar of a democratic state and should not be undermined.

New York, April 25, 2016–Egyptian authorities should immediately cease detaining and harassing journalists, and allow them to do their jobs, including allowing them to cover street protests, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

In the capital today, Egyptian security forces detained at least 33 journalists attempting to cover planned street protests against a deal handing control of two Red Sea Islands to Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian Journalists’ Syndicate, the advocacy group Journalists Against Torture Observatory (JATO), and Egyptian news websites reported. Of the at least 33 journalists reported detained, only two remained in detention at the time of publication, according to those groups and news reports.

“Egyptian authorities appear determined to prevent any protests and any mention of their forcibly dispersing those protests,” CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour said from Washington. “Rather than repeating its predecessors’ mistake of trying to silence dissent, the government should ensure reporters can do their jobs safely and without fear of reprisal.”

Three international journalists were also detained in the area, according to their social media accounts and JATO: French freelance journalist Jenna Le Bras; Danish freelance journalist Stefan Weichert; and Norwegian freelance journalist Harald Christian Hoff.

Police harassed and briefly detained at least eight journalists when similar protests were planned on April 15. Egypt was the second worst jailer of journalists worldwide in 2015, according to CPJ’s prison census